⚔ // to the beginning

[fionnuisce]

WHO: Waver + open
WHERE: A labyrinth.
WHEN: Early November. Continuity is a lie, just vibes.
WHAT: Waver gets lost in his own head, this time in a more literal sense.
WARNINGS: Fire, death, mortal peril, toplevels are all marked accordingly!


[The world beyond the tear is, upon first appearance, empty. The ground underfoot reflects the skies above as if it were a mirror; countless stars spread across heaven and earth, illuminating the darkness of night and the black moon overhead. Drifting past at eye level are shards of crystallized light no larger than palm-sized, as though the smallest stars couldn't decide whether to come to rest in heaven or on earth. Each floating fragment holds something within it like a vision within a crystal ball--in one, flickering orange of fire. Another, a swirling spiral of colors in gold, crimson, and black. A third, silhouetted trees in a dark forest. Fourth, the pale glow of a city skyline.]

[Somewhere in the paths of this labyrinth is the one whose memories have shaped it. Dead, alive, in danger, there is no way of knowing.]

[To move forward, all that must be done is to reach out and take a star in your hand.]

Comments

[fionnuisce]

I'm a mage, not a martial artist made of forty percent metal.

[robopriest]

Oh, so you're saying all mages are skin and bones? You all need to invest in some exercise. It's good for you.

[fionnuisce]

Yeah, let me get right on that and start running a marathon on one leg.

[robopriest]

Nothing stopping you. I mean. Look at me.

[He's starting to walk along now with Waver in tow, quiet for a moment.]

How did you lose that leg? Remind me.

[fionnuisce]

I didn't--you can put me down any time by the way--I didn't lose the damn thing, it just broke and never healed correctly.

[robopriest]

Ohhhh.

[Doesn't put him down.]

And how did that happen?

[fionnuisce]

[seething fuming whistling like a teakettle]

...I broke it in a fight a couple nights after this memory. Why does that suddenly matter?

[robopriest]

...

[He tilts him to put him gently back onto his feet.]

You really went through hell with this whole Grail War, huh.

[fionnuisce]

[Waver straightened himself out and adjusted his sunglasses, shrugging.]

I lived, which is more than I can say for most people caught up in the whole thing.

[robopriest]

Glad you're alive.

[Really. He is glad.]

...Your shining knight must have done his best to make sure you wouldn't come to any danger.

[fionnuisce]

[Waver turned slightly red at that, quickly looking anywhere but at Hansa.]

I...yeah. I would've been dead a half dozen times if he hadn't been looking out for me.

[robopriest]

Because he believed in you that much.

[A tilt of the head, his smile gentle.]

So don't toss that fact away if you ever start to think you're not worth it.

[fionnuisce]

...yeah. Damn it--stop being sensible, it's impossible to argue with you like this.

[robopriest]

Hehe.

[Now he's grinning wide.]

Guess I have to keep up with his duties when it comes to you.

[fionnuisce]

I can keep myself alive just fine, for the most part. Certainly better than I used to.

[robopriest]

Oh, certainly. But doesn't mean you don't need an extra hand here and there.

[fionnuisce]

...I suppose I don't have reason to complain. It's better that than being alone.

[robopriest]

[He stares at Waver for a moment. The air is crisp here, in this memory.]

[He wonders how that man - Diarmund - felt. Probably similar.]

Don't worry. I'll make sure you're never alone.

[fionnuisce]

I-...

...thanks, Hansa. It's not that necessary for you to be so serious about it, but I appreciate it all the same.

[robopriest]

I'm serious when I want to be. And I want to be serious about that.

[A long pause, before he shrugs his shoulders back, glancing up at the sky.]

Do you want to stay longer?

[fionnuisce]

I think it's best if we head back to reality. This Fuyuki is just a memory now, and I think I would rather it stayed that way.

[robopriest]

That's understandable.

[A brief look backward, as if he can catch sight of that young man once more, staring up at a grand example of a man.]

It's as they say. "The past is another country. They do things differently there."

[And now a gentle touch to the other's shoulder.]

Come on.

[fionnuisce]

[Somewhere behind them, a child resolved to at least try to win a war that he couldn't possibly know would have no victory at its ending. The city, or at least part of it, would burn beyond all repair or recovery and leave a thousand different scars on the land and survivors alike.]

[But tonight was quiet, a rare ceasefire between catastrophes. Of course it wouldn't last--hadn't lasted--but such things never did.]

Right. Let's go home. I'll even walk you back to the church for the trouble.

[robopriest]

You're a real gentleman.

[He gestures with a light bow.]

Lead the way, Waver.

[fionnuisce]

I have to be, I'm technically an aristocrat. Much to everyone's annoyance.

[It was, admittedly almost a relief to make it back through the tear and into reality--though whether Kaisou was stranger than Fuyuki was a debate that was certainly up in the air.]